Licensure Examination: Educationist Cautions Against Blaming Trainee Teachers Alone For Mass Failures

• An expert in education has advised against trolling the many teachers who failed the recent licensure exams because a myriad of factors could have triggered mass failures
• Nii Armah Addy, an educationist affiliated with the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has said the National Teaching Council has failed to provide supporting resources to make the exam deliver on its purposes
• There was widespread concern from members of the public when it emerged that 6,481 out of 7,728 teachers failed to pass basic numeracy and literary test administered to them during the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination (GTLE)

An educationist has put forth a new perspective on the recent news that 6,481 out of 7,728 teachers failed to pass basic numeracy and literary tests during the recent licensure examinations.

Nii Armah Addy, affiliated with the think tank Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), has said while the licensure examination is a good idea, the programme is new and lacks the relevant requirements to deliver on the expectation of making Ghanaian teachers more effective.

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He told YEN.com.gh in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, that the National Teaching Council (NTC), the administrator of the examination that started in 2018 amid protests, strive to improve the standard of the examination.

"As an educationist and per international best practices, for instance in England, I know that teachers after training, write licensure exams to enable them to join the teaching profession. So stemming from that background, I am in support of the licensure exams.

"But the licensure exams must be in consonance with other key requirements that will it a more credible regime aimed at making teachers effective. I think the preparation was poor. The teachers or candidates went to the exams without adequate preparation.

"I also don't think the materials to prepare the teachers [for the licensure exams] are ready. So on the side of the organisation running the licensure exams too, there was poor preparation," told YEN.com.gh in response to a question on why such huge teachers failed.

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He said for such an examination, there must be special classes or books that prospective teachers read to prepare them.

"What is the preparation from the NTC to ensure that candidates are ready to take the new test?" he quizzed.

Uproar as only 1,277 teachers out of over 6,000 pass licensure exams

There was a public uproar this week after it emerged that some teachers disappointingly failed to answer simple questions on the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination run by the National Teaching Council.

For some commentators, the fact that the candidates were taking the test a second time after failing the first time was most unfortunate.

The GTLE enables Ghanaian teachers to acquire a professional licence to teach.

The exam gives an opportunity to young graduates from universities and colleges of education with the required professional knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to deliver effectively in schools.

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They flunked in huge numbers: 6,481 out of 7,728 teachers fail licensure exams

But amid the public criticism, CSJ's Nii Armah Addy told YEN.com.gh that it would be premature to think that the 4,000 teachers who failed are unfit to be in the classroom.

"What materials are the teachers expected to read in preparation and were these materials available? Were there even facilitators to take the candidates or trainee teachers through the format of the exams? All these have to be answered properly," he said.

He also said if the licensure examination is detached from the practicalities of teaching but emphasises abstract subjects then such a mass failure is bound to repeat.

He suggests that an examination regime that is modelled around continuous assessment would be ideal for the GTLE.

Brilliant former first-class student turns car sprayer in her father's garage

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh has reported in a separate story that a graduate of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Francisca Amoah, now works as a car sprayer.

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Reports say the resilient young lady earned a first-class degree in Economics from a reputable Ghanaian establishment.

However, she had to venture into the automobile sector by learning and mastering the craft of car spraying inside her father's garage.

First deaf black woman to earn STEM PhD In US opens up about achievement

Also, Amie Fornah Sankoh has opened up about becoming the first deaf Black woman to bag a PhD in a STEM programme in the US.

She graduated with a doctorate in Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

The trailblazer stated that she intends to lead by example, set high standards, and work hard to inspire people with big aspirations.

Source: YEN.com.gh